the sketch and a toning wash of ochre and turquoise
dr bill oil
Coach Larry knocking them out. Charcoal.
Poor soaked birds are flocking to the feeders on the back porch. I counted more than 20 finches six cardinals 2-4 doves chickadees wrens and titmice plus a blue jay or two. I could tell how many of they wore name tags. lol.
Drawn in a small alpha stillman and birn with an XF sepia pitt pen which barely smears at all despite my efforts.
Poor soaked finches out the den door
I couldn’t resist coloring the Cardinals for just a tiny pop of color. They are such gorgeous birds especially when they fluff up to stay warm on cold wet days. I colored them with watercolor pencils.
Margaret who turned the heel on her sock and is sliding toward the toe on this rainy day. Xoxoxo
Can u tell how I changed her?! It now looks like Ilaina. I only changed five or six very small tweaks. Take a guess and I will list what I changed tomorrow.
Here’s how she looked about ten minutes ago. That’s about how long it took to make the changes.
Drew Murphy’s. I forgot to post these yesterday. He’s been using a new kind of acrylic paint from Holland that he loves. Thick and buttery.
I took a pic when I thought this was Alexis’s but I think it’s my a lady named Amy who was next to Alexis.
And the gestures. Half an hours worth.
One minute vine charcoal on cheap newsprint
She did some fantastic yoga poses.
Next up three five minutes to complete the half an hour of gesture poses.
really like this one a lot. They were drawn with a general charcoal pencil Liked drawing with it much better.
And that’s a wrap for Tuesday life modeling.
Oh Dr Doolittle too much fun in a movie. Great cgi. And RObert Downey JR to swoon over. Think I will take my grandkids to see it.
Margaret Xoxoxox
The way she looked when I left life modeling today.
The way she looks now. 
I decided I had really messed her face up and decided to lift a half inch strip down her face as delineated by the pencil mark.
I used masking tape and a mr clean eraser.
The sketch
First break. At this point I was happy. Then down the rabbit hole. Sigh.
As many times as I have drawn Ilaina u would think it would be a piece of cake. NOPE.
No idea how I went so wrong. Still doesn’t look like her but she looks better.
I do really like her hands. Maybe I should just paint hands.
Margaret hanging it up for tonite.
First break
Drew this view first but I really am not fond of a small figure in the middle of a large page. The figure turned out nicely but it’s almost as if a microscope is needed to see the figure in this drawing. So I moved to another more interesting angle that would fill up the page better. 
This is what I ended up with. I only had an hour when I started so not bad for an hour. I should finish but probably won’t.
Her torso is a bit too long and what is with the left foot?!
Mostly painted with card red and yellow for flesh tones. Alizarin for darks or cobalt violet or a bit of Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise. Darkest darks cobalt and burnt sienna.
Black drape cobalt and burnt sienna. Yellow ochre and cobalt ok the lighter one.
Second break.
Drew Murphy who was to my right.
Al Beyer who was even further to my right.
And Fred’s. Gotta love this wild painting.
Henry
Gypsy
Then I was off to the framer to get Kristin to put these into frames I already had. Gypsy is off to a show in McCormick.
I also entered her in the National Transparent Watercolor Show. Wonder if she will get in. 🤔🤔🤔
Henry is going on a wall at my house unless my kids say pretty please for the painting.
Don today. Hope you click on him and see him bigger. The background may change tomorrow. We shall see.
The sketch.
15×22 cold press Fluid. Hmm I have a whole roll of gesture drawings too. Was not thrilled doing another reclining pose. To top that off he went to sleep and his head started tipping toward me. And I mean tipped ALOT!! Not just a little.
Next break. I don’t know how I managed to get the holiday in his nose. It’s straight. Hmm.
Really like his hand.
Next break. Or was this when I was done. Not sure. Painted for three 25 min sessions. Since I wasn’t thrilled with the pose I had fun playing and really like all the colors. Lots of alizarin mineral violet Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise. Some cad red and yellow and burnt sienna plus ultramarine.
Always fun hanging with my Aiken peeps.
Drew Murphy’s. His first nude male.
Eves. She and I had fun moaning about Don going to sleep. Really messed with our drawings. Thank goodness I took a pic before he went to sleep.
Loved Joya Jimenez- Stefanos pastel – that leg coming forward is so dynamic.
And Bills oil- lovely soft pastely colors that don’t show well in the light I took this in.
Wish I had gotten a photo of Amy Lockhard Nesss oh so interesting scribble drawings she made with a weird Mephisto pencil she got in Bulgaria. It only smeared when she used a tortillon. Hmmm.
Well that’s a wrap people. Come join us for some Aiken fun. T or Saturday. Oh and Plein air on Fridays.
Margaret tucked in for the evening. Freezing cold. A high of 39. Whaaaaatttt??
A good by present for a friend that I was commissioned to do. It’s suppose to be a book cover for a book club group present with her house in the background. 
I did do it in pencil first. Also trying to get everyone’s name on it. Still missed one. Sigh. No matter how many times I checked. You have to wonder how that happens. 
Here it is inked and ready to paint.
Drawn with a Lamy vista. Lettering a Lamy joy on Fabriano cold press.
She loved it they loved it. Back to my knitting. Margaret Xoxoxox whose managed to post three days in a row. However one sock is almost done. Turquoise cashmere. How decadent is that??! 🥰
Was our model today. We did ALOT OF gesture poses first which really do help with drawing the final figure quickly. Limbers you up. 
1 minute gestures.
More 1 min and one 3 minute
3 min
five minute
Five minute. Like the last two the best of course.
First break 25 min. Drew him quickly and had ten min left til break to start painting. As I said gestures paid off.
Fifty min.
When I left. The right shoulder had drifted no longer following the pencil line. Oopsey.
So when I got home I redrew the pencil line and did some negative painted it aka painted behind him with Indanthrone blue and splattered a bit which is always fun.
He’s on the kitchen floor drying now.
Drew Murphy. He was to my immediate left.
Eves. Might be my favorite of all of them. There were close to 20 people in class today. Always a lot of fun. Come join us!
Margaret xoxoxo putting her feet up now.
I posted.
Found these sweet clementines in my sons kitchen this am. Far too cute to eat attached to the leaves and each other.
If my bag of painted weren’t out in the car on a very rainy day in Atlanta I would paint these. Maybe tomorrow?!
I think I like it better with the lettering than without. What do you think ?!
Drawn with a uniball micropen in a handprint journal. High time I fill this book up and be on to the next one.
Margaret in rainy drippy squally Atlanta not looking forward to the drive home in the same weather. Also ruined all my plans for arts stores and other Atlanta fun. Time to replace my old ancient beloved London fog which is no longer waterprood.
Calling Henry done for now but may mess with his right eye some more. Going to look at him a whole and then decide. 
Here he is like he was this morning when I started. I darkened just about everything.
Lifted a highlight or two like the one on his index finger. Added some fingernails. BYTW u add the line denoting the nail ABOVE THE FINGERNAIL not under the it. A little blush of cad red on the nail and you are done.
So what else did I lift. Some weird yellow ochre dots on the background that looked like I hit it with the brush accidentally. Always surprised how easy it is to lift on Fluid hot press. I think it’s easier to do on hot press than cold press.
Added the background wash on the left. It’s made up of Cheap Joes Andrews turquoise yellow ochre has mineral violet with maybe a little alizarin.
So I stayed up til 2 am knitting on this sock. I had to draw a pattern for it first. I know you are thrilled to know that. Calling it Jos sock for the polka dot socks Jo March had on in the latest version of Little Women. Gorgeous movie but NOT faithful to the book. After I watch it a few more dozen times I will I hope get over that like I did with Under the Tuscan Sun.
Margaret taking a nap before Book club. Do I have to go?!! Xoxoxox
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 